The True Test of Love
by L.R.T
Summary: Will a series of possible roadblocks keep Jessie and James from finally having their happily ever after? Rocketshippy. Original upload date: 11.22.00. See bio for author's notes.
1. Chapter 1

The True Test of Love

L.R.T.

* * *

Jessie just watched her partner sleep. They were in a hotel, which for them was very rare. They had found some money on the ground and using the fine logic of "finder's keepers" got a hotel for the night. They didn't have enough money to afford a room with two beds, so they were stuck with one. James didn't seem to care that he had to share a bed with Jessie. She did.

She sighed as she watched him sleep. _Why? Why is it so hard?_ she pondered in the darkness. James and Meowth had drifted off long ago but Jessie still laid awake, miserable at her own stubbornness. She hated herself for not having the guts to tell James how she felt. Sometimes she became so depressed she cried herself to sleep.

Jessie took a deep breath. She was going to do it, even if it killed her. Just as she leaned over to kiss James awake, a thought popped into her head...Giovanni. What would he say? He was never too fond of Rocket relationships and often fired any lovebirds that decided love was better than working for him.

She laid back down. She had lost her nerve.

Jessie decided to get some water. She quietly got up and went into the bathroom. She closed the door and broke down into bitter tears.

"Damn you, Giovanni!" she screamed.

James heard the outburst and ran into the bathroom, opening the door just in time to hear Jessie declare, "I love James and I can't tell him because of you! You son of a -"

"Jessica, I love you, too."

"James, hi," Jessie said nervously. "You probably think I love you, right?"

"Yeah, kinda. Seeing as that's what you said."

"Well, uh, I was just rehearsing for a play. Yeah, a play."

"Okay."

Jessie narrowed her eyes. "You think I'm lying."

"Yeah, I do."

Jessie sighed and sat on the side of the bath tub. James joined her.

"Jessie, I said I loved you. And I meant it. Regardless of what _you_ were actually doing."

She looked at him and opened her mouth to say something but just looked into his gorgeous green eyes and her spirit softened. "You really love me?"

"Yeah. Why would I lie about a thing like that?"

She shrugged. "Because you think of me as your best friend who rags on you and used to beat you with her purse at Pokemon Tech and now beats you with fans and mallets and pans and whatever is available at the time."

"I do."

"Oh," she replied, confused.

He took her hands in his. "That's why I love you. You aren't afraid to speak your mind or kick butt or what have you. I love you because you're so amazingly beautiful and perfect and I've loved you since day one, Jessica. I love you so much it physically hurts. Right here in my gut." He pointed at his belly. Jessie giggled. "I want to be with you more than anything on this planet, Jessie."

Jessie tried to hide her tears but one managed to slip away. James wiped it away with the back of his hand. "Oh, James..." Jessie sniffled.

"Jessie, can I kiss you?"

She laughed. "Of course. Why did you feel you had to ask, silly?"

"Well, it'd be our first kiss. Together. I just -"

Jessie kissed him smack on the lips. They looked at each other, trying to fight their emotions and urges knowing Meowth was in the next room but their hormones just couldn't be stopped. They kissed passionately and began to take off each others clothes.

"James?" Jessie asked as James kissed her neck.

"Huh?"

"What about the boss?"

Those words made James's blood chill. He stopped kissing his soul mate and stared into the toilet. "I guess he wouldn't like this much, huh?"

Jessie nodded sadly.

James stood up. "Well, screw him, Jessie! I want to be with you and I want to make love to you and if he has a problem with that he can just kiss my ass!"

Jessie hugged her man tightly. "That's my James!"

Meowth stepped groggily into the bathroom. His eyes widened at the sight of Jessie in James's arms, her nightgown almost down so far you could see her breasts and James shirtless with his pants unzipped.

"Yous twos are poiverted!"

"For your information, Garfield, James and I are in love!" She stuck her tongue out at their Pokemon friend.

"Love? Yeah, I knew dat. Ain't nottin' new to me."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Yous twos were obviously hooked on each otta da minute you saw one and otta."

Jessie gazed at James and he gazed back. She brushed his hair out of his face. "You know what, furball? I guess we were."

James grinned at her and she grinned back. The two kissed.

"Oh, brutta. Now I gotta deal wit' dis junk!


	2. Chapter 2

The True Test of Love

L.R.T.

* * *

Jessie and James had been going out for about a month. James wanted to do something really special for their anniversary so he consulted his friend Mondo.

"I don't know if I'm comfortable with you asking me about this kind of thing, James," Mondo said shyly.

"Come on, I really need your help. I don't know what to do."

"Well, the only thing that comes to mind is..."

"Is? _Is_?" James persisted.

"You could make love to her." He blushed.

"Hmm..." James thought of romantic ways he could set up their first night together. "Yeah..."

"James, you really didn't think of that?" Mondo asked, surprised.

"Sure I did. I just didn't know if it was wrong because we've only been going out a month."

"But you've known each other for ten years, James! That makes a difference."

James nodded.

Jessie came down to the Rocket Cafeteria where Mondo and James had been eating.

"The Boss wants to see us..." she said shakily.

James gulped but knew that he had to tell Giovanni off. He had to tell him that he loved Jessie and that not even his job was worth risking her love.

* * *

"Why did you fools want me to call this meeting?" Giovanni boomed.

"Jessie and I have to tell you something, sir," James said.

Jessie was very proud of James for maintaining his ground and not running out of the room, screaming for his mommy.

"Which is?" Giovanni asked, obviously interested by James's unusual behavior.

"Jessie and I...we're in love, sir. And we don't care what you say or do to us because..." James couldn't think of a dramatic ending so he just told it to Giovanni straight. "Listen, sir, I'm in love with Jessica. There's no two ways around it. I have to be with her. Please, sir, don't break us up. Please..."

Giovanni eyed his workers. They noticed his eyes weren't cold anymore and that they had softened. "Well, here's my decision...I have no problem with you two going out."

Jessie and James hugged and cheered.

"But..."

"Oh, no," James said.

"No sex, understood?"

This made James's blood boil. "No, _not_ understood!" He went right up to Giovanni's face. "Listen up, I love her and I want to make love to her and you aren't the boss of my life! Here at work, yes, you're my boss but not in the real world, bub, got it?"

Jessie tried to pull James away but he resisted.

"No, Jess, I'm not done. We have tried and tried and tried to please your sorry ass for what? Longer than I can remember! You're just a sorry bastard and I hate you! And you know what? Fire us. Fine. I don't give a shit anymore because as long as I have Jessie, I have everything. Forget my money, forget that brat's Pikachu, forget everything. As long as I'm with Jessie, I'm complete. So fire me. I dare you. But just be warned that I'll probably be a hell of a lot happier once I'm out of this hell hole!" James started to storm out but Giovanni called him.

"James. Come back here."

Now James's guts were running out. He was scared. He turned around and said, "Yes?"

"Okay, you two do whatever you want."

"Come again?" James said in disbelief.

"James, Jessie, it's obvious you care very deeply for one and other. Now, I'm not very fond of this, mind you, but I know you ignoramuses have some potential. And maybe this is what you need to bring it out. So just go, celebrate. And James?"

"Yes, sir?" he squeaked.

"It took a lot of courage to stand up to me like that. I've a new-found respect for you."

"Thank you, sir!" He beamed.

"Now go on! You're making me nauseous."

They ran out of Giovanni's office faster than lightning.

"You were amazing, James!" Jessie said as James swung her around.

"Thanks."

"So, what'd you have in mind for our anniversary tonight?" she asked mischievously.

"You'll see..." James grinned.

* * *

That night Jessie and James made love for the first time and then just laid there, holding each other.

Jessie sighed contently. "That was so amazing..."

James kissed her head. "I know."

"You sure it was okay that we didn't use protection? I mean..." Jessie trailed off.

"Jess, the odds that something will happen from this one time are like, a billion to one."

"I guess," she said uneasily.

"What? I thought you always wanted to be a mom anyways."

"Oh, I did...just not when I'm seventeen. And...nevermind."

"No, what?" James asked, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Well, I'm just scared that you won't love me anymore if I do get pregnant."

"Jessie, that's ridiculous!"

"Sure, you say that now..."

"And I'll say it the minute our child comes into this world."

Jessie smiled at him. "I don't deserve you."

"Yeah, you do. After all the hell you've been through, you do."

They fell asleep with dreams of each other running through their heads.


	3. Chapter 3

The True Test of Love

L.R.T.

* * *

A month had past since Jessie and James's night together. One morning James was woken up by the sound of Jessie throwing up. He went into the bathroom to check on her.

"You okay, Jess?" he yawned.

"Yeah...ugh, I think I have a stomach flu," she said, laying back down on the bed.

"Well, need anything, sweetie?"

"Honey," Jessie replied.

"Okay, I'll call you honey, then."

"No! I want some honey."

"You hate honey, Jess."

"I know..." Just then, the two lovers' eyes widened to the size of oranges. They stared at Jessie's stomach.

"Do you think it's gotten bigger?" Jessie shrieked.

"I don't know!" James yelled.

"Call the doctor! Hurry up!" she commanded.

He did so and they got an appointment immediately with the doctor down the street.

* * *

At the doctor's office James was pacing as they waited for the results of the pregnancy test.

"Cut it out. You're making me dizzy," Jessie said.

"Jessie, I might be a dad! I'm entitled to a little panicking."

"I thought you didn't care," Jessie retorted.

"I said if you were pregnant I wouldn't leave you or stop loving you. That wasn't an invite to go and get pregnant Jess!"

Jessie sat in silence for a while then said quietly, "I could get an abortion."

James looked at her. She was staring at the floor. "_No_," he said sternly, "we're not doing that."

"Well, you're the one who's all like, 'Oh, I'm gonna be a dad! Oh, my life's ruined!' I just thought -"

"Well, you thought wrong, Jess. We're keeping our child."

The doctor came in. James walked up to her. "Well?" he asked eagerly.

She nodded slowly. "You're pregnant. No doubt about it."

Jessie looked at the floor again.

"Are you the father?" the doctor asked.

"Yeah," James replied.

"Well, that's good. Usually in these situations, the girls don't know who the father is."

Jessie nodded.

"Well, I'm going to check the heartbeat, okay?"

Jessie nodded again. The doctor put her stethoscope to Jessie's stomach. James noticed a look of concern on her face.

"Oh, no. What's wrong?" James asked.

The doctor smiled. "I think you're having triplets."

James's jaw dropped. "You mean _three_ kids?"

"Yes, James, that's usually what triplets means," Jessie said.

"We only did it once, though!"

"That's all it takes," the doctor replied. "Well, everything seems normal. I'll see you back in six months."

* * *

Back at their apartment, Meowth was just walking in from his weekly trip to the PokeMart to get some catnip.

"Meowth, can we talk to you?" Jessie said.

"Whadda want now?" he said, sitting in his highchair at the table.

"Uh, well, me and Jessie went to the doctor today," James said.

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, uh -"

"Meowth, I'm pregnant," Jessie blurted.

"I thought we were gonna break it to him gently." James scowled.

"Yous...yous are gonna be parents?"

They nodded.

"And that's not it," Jessie said.

"Oh, really? What, ya havin' triplets?" Meowth laughed.

"Yeah, actually."

He stopped immediately. "_Meowth_! Yous twos must have been busy!"

"Shut your Meowth," Jessie snarled.

"I just can't believe yous twos are future parents. Well, yas gotta get hitched now. Don't want ya kids to be bastards, do ya?"

Jessie and James exchanged glances.

"I guess we _do_ have to get married," Jessie said.

"Oh, thanks for the enthusiasm, Jess," James said.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, I just don't know if I'm ready to be married."

"Jessie, don't you remember how we used to pretend to get married when we were little?"

Jessie laughed. "Yeah, we used a ring we got out of a Cracker Jack box..." her voice trailed off.

"Jessie, will you marry me?" James asked.

"Of course I will, James..."

The two hugged.

"I tink I'm gonna cough up a hairball."


	4. Chapter 4

The True Test of Love

L.R.T.

* * *

The six months seemed to fly by and before they knew it, Jessie and James were back in the doctor's office, getting an ultrasound done.

"Wow..." Jessie said, staring at the screen.

"I know." James gawked.

"Everything looks very normal. Your triplets are very healthy."

James took Jessie's hand and kissed her.

* * *

Two months later, Jessie was sucking honey out of a container while watching a movie. At one point she screamed and felt something wet.

"Did I pee my pants?" she wondered aloud. Then came the pain. "_Agh_!" she screamed.

James and Meowth came running.

"Is it time?" James asked.

"Oh, yeah," Jessie said.

James gathered her things and Meowth tried to calm Jessie down.

"Tink about a nice, happy place, Jess," he coaxed.

"Ah...a place without Meowth..." she joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Boy, a guy tries to help and he gets insulted!"

* * *

Three hours and thirty-seven minutes later, Jessie and James were the proud parents of three adorable little girls: Jennie, Jeanette, and Josephine.

"I'm so proud of you, Jessie," James said, kissing his fiancee.

"Thanks, sweetheart. Sorry I broke your finger."

"It's okay. It was my fault for taking your hand in the first place."

Well, it's two years later and Jessie and James have surely passed the test of love. They made it even though Giovanni and Jessie's pregnancy threatened to stop them. That's what the test of love is!


End file.
